No Need Seen For Jcc Law On Immigrants

JAMES CITY — It seems that James City County won't be following in Northern Virginia's anti-illegal-immigration footsteps, after all.

Two weeks after Supervisor Bruce Goodson asked county staff to investigate the need for a law that would deny illegal immigrants many county services, the answer is in.

County Attorney Leo Rogers, who interviewed leaders of county departments and outside agencies, said the costs of such a campaign would outweigh any benefits.

No group that provides public services in the Williamsburg area -- including the Williamsburg Regional Library and Olde Towne Medical Center -- reported a significant effect from illegal-immigrant use, Rogers' memo to supervisors read.

Goodson's query followed laws passed recently by Prince William and Loudoun counties.

Those laws could also allow local police to receive federal immigration enforcement training, which James City County's police chief has said isn't needed here.

Goodson is on vacation, but in an e-mail message to the board, he said he was satisfied with Rogers' conclusion.

It's unlikely that supervisors will consider the proposed policy change, other supervisors and officials said.

James City's Hispanic population is estimated to be only about 1.7 percent, but no reliable information exists to indicate how many live here illegally, according to county documents.

Identification checks required before someone can take part in programs such as Medicaid and food stamps prevent those services from going to illegal immigrants.

But asking for several forms of ID before allowing someone to check out library books would simply be too big a burden, Rogers said.

If James City supervisors drop the legislative tack, they will stand in contrast to their counterparts in Prince William. They were reminded to be wary of changing county code on the issue before approving a modified law, said Angela Horan, Prince William's deputy county attorney.

Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, said, "What we're seeing is people in charge of running jurisdictions in Virginia -- county attorneys, executives -- are all advising the politicians not to move ahead with these ordinances."

Willis and other civil rights leaders have criticized anti-illegal-immigration bills for targeting a people based on race but also for pushing certain communities away from police. That, they said, undermines community policing.

Even though James City might take a pass on an ordinance targeting illegal immigration, other Virginia communities -- including Culpeper and Chesterfield counties -- have discussed restricting services for illegal immigrants in recent months. *